Bent and Broken
by Jolly Rancher
Summary: After his death in the Cell Games, Goku refuses to be wished back. Gohan flees to space to escape the guilt. These are his adventures. Rating for profanity.
1. On The Lookout

**Bent and Broken** **by Jolly Rancher**

**Chapter 1- Goku's Refusal**

* * *

The Z-Team stood on Kami's Lookout. They were eagerly waiting for Dende to summon the eternal dragon so that they could revive everyone that Cell had killed. Gohan was ecstatic. He had just reached a new level of Super Saiyan, and destroyed Cell with ease. Unfortunately, his father had sacrificed his life before he defeated Cell. He couldn't wait for his dad to get back! All he wanted to do now was to go back home and live life peacefully. The threat of the androids was finally over, and they could stop the gruesome training that they had undertaken for almost three years. They could finally live without the threat of the universe being destroyed. _Things can finally go back to the way they were before Radditz came. Man, we haven't had more than a few months of peace since then. I can finally become a scholar. We can be a family again. Mom will be so happy._

Gohan was interrupted from his thoughts when Dende finally summoned the Dragon. "ETERNAL DRAGON! I CALL YOU FORTH BY YOUR NAME! ARISE, SHENRON!"

Gohan's skin prickled as he felt the air around him begin to crackle with the magic that was being spewed by the seven DragonBalls. As always, his breath was taken away as the awe-inspiring sight of the majestic dragon rising from the DragonBalls filled his sight. **"You have awakened me from my slumber. I will grant you two wishes. Pick carefully, and make haste."**

"WE WISH THAT EVERYONE THAT WAS KILLED BY CELL BE BROUGHT BACK TO LIFE!"

The dragon's eyes glowed red. **"Your first wish has been granted. You have one more wish."**

The Z-Team cheered as the hole in Trunks regenerated, and he came back to life. Vegeta smiled slightly, but then wiped it off his face as if it was never there. No one except Piccolo saw it. He gave a little smirk, but otherwise ignored Vegeta's show of emotion. Trunks looked around in amazement. He had been talking to King Yemma when his halo suddenly disappeared and then he found himself on the Lookout. He grinned at the others and stood up. "Hey gu-"

He abruptly closed his sentence as he saw the glowing DragonBalls. He followed the scaly tail and tilted his head up. He caught his first sight of the eternal dragon and gaped like a fish out of water. Shenron was fucking huge!

Shenron glared at all of them and boomed, **"Speak your second wish!"**

"WE WISH THAT THE ONE KNOWN AS GOKU BE BROUGHT BACK TO LIFE!"

The dragon's eyes glowed red, but then flickered out. **"The one known as Goku has already been brought back to life. I cannot do it a second time. Sorry."**

"Damn, now what're we going to do?" Said Krillin.

Yamcha snapped his fingers as he got a brain blast. "I know! Porunga can revive someone as many times as he wants! We can go back to Namek and use those DragonBalls to revive Goku!"

"Yeah! Good idea! Bulma has a spaceship ready for us to use too!" Said Krillin.

"**Hey guys! Don't I get to say anything?"**

Everybody looked around. "Goku?"

"**Yeah! King Kai is letting me talk to you guys. Listen, don't go to Namek and wish me back. I think that it's better if I just stay in Otherworld."**

"What? No! Daddy! You can't stay in Otherworld. Not when you have a choice!" Gohan cried out.

"**Sorry, Gohan. I just believe that it's better for me to stay up here." **Said Goku.

"That's bull! What possible reason do you have to stay in the afterlife? You have a family back here on Earth. Don't you realize what Mom is going to do when she finds out? She'll be devastated!" said Gohan.

"**I know Gohan, I know. Listen, think about all the times that Earth has been in trouble. Everyone of the villains came for me! If I stay here, then they'll stop coming. The Earth will be a peaceful place again. Anyway, King Kai told me about a Martial Arts tournament in the Otherworld, and I really want to join!"**

Gohan listened with tears of pain and anger streaming out of his eyes. "That's it, isn't it? All the noble shit before was just an excuse. You just want to stay for the fucking tournament!"

"**Gohan! Watch your language! And I really do believe that it's better for me to stay in the Otherworld. I'm sorry Gohan. Tell your mother I love her. Goodbye…"**

"If you really loved her, then you would come back!" said Gohan, "For fuck's sake, you love fighting more than you love your own family! You've always put fighting first!"

Gohan started to say some more, but was interrupted by Piccolo putting a hand on his shoulder. Gohan looked up at his mentor in confusion.

"It's too late Gohan. He's cut off the connection. I'm sorry." Piccolo said.

"NO! How dare he! He had no right! He had no damn ri-ri-right…" Gohan broke off, trembling. He dropped to his knees and started sobbing uncontrollably.

"Bah! Quit your crying, boy. You are a Saiyan warrior, and Saiyans don't cry." With that said, Vegeta blasted off towards Capsule Corporation. With a sorrow-filled glance at Gohan, Trunks followed his father.

"**Hey! You still have one last wish! Hurry up!"** said Shenron impatiently.

With a last glance at Gohan, the Z-Team turned to the dragon. "Err, can anyone think of another wish?" said Krillin.

"Well, I have one. Why don't we all wish that we were all filthy rich?" said Yamcha.

The Z-Team just stared at Yamcha. "…or not." Said Yamcha.

"Can I make a suggestion? Why not wish for the bombs within the androids to be removed? Android 17 and 18 could have a normal life together then."

"**I cannot complete that wish at this time." **

Behind a pillar, Android 18 gasped in surprise. Piccolo's ears twitched.

Tien replied, "Why would you make a wish like that, Krillin?"

"Hey, #18 isn't so bad! She's changed."

Yamcha smirked. "Or is it because she has such a fine ass?"

Eighteen couldn't take it anymore. She shot out from behind the pillar and slammed full force into Yamcha. "PERVERT!"

Yamcha groaned and sat up. "Urgh, what the hell was that?" He caught sight of Eighteen and cringed away from here. "Aaah! Get her away from me! Don't let her get me!"

He ran and hid behind Piccolo. Piccolo shook his head in disgust, but nevertheless moved in a defensive stance in front of Yamcha.

The android glared at Yamcha then turned away. "For your information, Seventeen is my brother, not my boyfriend. Don't assume things about me baldie."

Krillin blushed and said, "Oh, um, sorry Eighteen."

Eighteen snorted and went to the edge of the Lookout. She smiled slightly and said, "Though, it was sweet of you to ask. Thank you." With that, she blasted off Kami's Lookout to look for her brother. Krillin grinned like a madman.

Yamcha sighed in relief. "Whoo, she's finally gone. Good riddance."

Fortunately for Yamcha, Krillin was off in his own little fantasy world and didn't seem to hear him. He was ripped out of his fantasy about him and Eighteen in a field of flowers by Gohan's anguished scream.

_That bastard. He had no right to leave us. What will mom say? She'll be so depressed. _With those thoughts racing through his head, Gohan ascended to Super Saiyan Level 2. The others gaped, they hadn't seen Gohan in his ascended form from close up, and he was truly awe-inspiring. Blue lightning crackled around Gohan, and his hair grew longer and spikier.

Gohan topped off his power and started to go even further. "No! Stop it Gohan!" Piccolo screamed.

He stopped, but only due to the fact that he fell unconscious from the overload of power. Piccolo picked him up and took him to one of the many bedrooms within the Lookout. Over his shoulder he said, "Wish for whatever you want, but hurry up."

Nobody spoke for several moments. Even the dragon didn't speak. Dende broke the silence by saying, "If no one has a wish, I could just send the dragon away."

The other warriors nodded their consent. Dende told Shenron that he could leave now, they would think of a wish to use later. The dragon grumbled a bit, but left. The group of warriors took their leave of Dende and blasted off to their respective homes.

Dende walked inside the main building of the Lookout and found Piccolo's ki and Gohan's relatively low one. He walked inside the room and saw Piccolo tucking Gohan in. Dende chose to ignore this out-of-character moment for Piccolo, and instead asked, "How is he?"

"I don't know. Since you healed him he's fine physically. Emotionally…that's another story." Piccolo said as he straightened. "Gohan has been through so much in his short life. More than most could take. I'm afraid that his emotional wounds go even deeper that Cell's did."

He continued. "Goku doesn't realize how much he hurt him. He drove him to the edge and beyond. Even someone as strong as Gohan has his limits. Gohan will never be the same."

Dende nodded as he looked at Gohan sadly.

"Come, let's leave him to sleep." Said Piccolo.

They both left the room, giving Gohan one last sorrow-filled glance.

* * *

_Gohan was back in his home. He was doing some Pre-Calculus when he heard his mother start screaming at his dad about eating dinner before it was ready. He grinned, he loved his family, dysfunctional as it was. A half-hour later his father came barging into his room_

"_Hey, Gohan! What're you doing?" Goku said._

"_I'm doing some math, Dad. I'm just starting to learn about li-"_

"_Cool! Now stop working and come for dinner! You mom said that I can't eat until you come too!" interrupted Goku._

"_Sure thing, Dad. Just let me finish this problem and I'll be down." Said Gohan._

"_Oh, come on Gohan, finish it up later! I'm hungry!" whined Goku._

_Gohan sighed and closed the book. His dad never listened when he talked about work. He followed his father to the table and sat down to eat. Chi-Chi sat down and filled her plate before the two ravenous Saiyans could finish the food without letting her have any. She nodded to her men, and the table was suddenly a hurricane, with food flying everywhere. Goku, as always, finished before everyone else. He gave a great burp and grinned at Gohan, who grinned back and let loose an even bigger burp._

"_Wow, Gohan! That burp was amazing! It was even louder than mine was! Nice one." Said Goku with a grin._

_Gohan smiled and said, "Thanks, Dad! I've be-"_

"_Oh, that's rich, you don't take notice of Gohan's studies but you sure notice his belching skills. How many times have I told you two not to burp? It's rude, not to mention vulgar and disgusting!" said Chi-Chi._

_Goku tried to placate his wife before she really got started on one of her tirades. "Calm down, Chi! I do pay attention to Gohan's studies! He studying, err…" He looked to Gohan for support and saw Gohan mouth _limits_ to him. "He's studying limits right now!"_

_Chi-Chi stopped her tirade in surprise. Her eyes suddenly filled with love and said, "Oh, that's my Goku! Always paying attention to his sons future!"_

_Gohan and Goku grinned at each other. No bleeding ears tonight! _

_BOOM!_

_A ki blast suddenly incinerated Chi-Chi and blew the wall behind her into little pieces. A harsh, sinister laugh cut through the air as Gohan and Goku stared at the empty space that had been occupied by Chi-Chi just seconds before. They saw Cell land before them. Goku, with a cry of rage, ascended to Super Saiyan and attacked Cell. Cell gave another laugh before sidestepping Goku, and inserting his fist into Goku's abdomen. He then let loose a ki blast inside of Goku, making Goku implode. Gohan gave a shout and ascended to Super Saiyan, then ascended to Super Saiyan. He attacked Cell, but all he hit was air as Cell nimbly dodged Gohan's attacks. When Gohan got tired, Cell took his chance and gleefully tore off all of Gohan's limbs. He gave another laugh and said, "Now should I kill you now? Or should I keep you alive and make you watch the planets destruction? I think I'll keep you alive."_

_Cell picked him up and made him watch as he killed the rest of the Z-Fighters. Gohan couldn't close his eyes, he couldn't stop Cell from killing everything he cared for. He couldn't stop him._

_He heard the voices of his parents. "It's all your fault, Gohan. It's all your fault."_

"_No! Mommy! Daddy! I tried to stop him! He's just too strong!"_

_The voices didn't stop. The other Z-Fighters joined in, blaming him for their deaths._

* * *

"NO!" Gohan shouted as he woke up from his slumber. He was drenched in cold sweat and he was shivering uncontrollably. He sat up, and put his head to his knees. _Why me? Why does this have to happen to me? Why couldn't he come back? Am I really that bad? I hate this. I don't want this life. I want a normal life. Can't I have just this one thing?_ With these thoughts running through his head, he curled up into a fetal position and fell into a fitful sleep.

Gohan awoke later that morning feeling like shit, even though he had slept for thirteen hours. He got up and saw his reflection in a mirror next to his bed. He glared at himself. _It's all your fault! You killed your father. It's your fault._ He shattered the mirror with a light punch. He looked at the broken shards for a moment, looking at his distorted face in the shattered shards. He then walked out of the room and out onto the main portion of Kami's Lookout. He was just about to blast off when somebody behind him spoke.

"Were you going to go without saying goodbye?" said Dende.

Gohan gave a half-hearted smile at his Namekian friend and said, "Sorry Dende. I just wanted to go home. I wasn't really thinking of anything else."

Dende smiled. "I understand, Gohan. Take care of yourself. If you ever want to talk…"

Gohan smiled, a true one this time, and said, "I know Dende. I know. Goodbye. Tell Piccolo bye for me too." He floated off the edge of the lookout and released his ki, falling to the Earth in a free-fall. He dropped for a mile, then gathered his ki and shot it underneath him, then blasted off towards his home.

* * *

**AN: I know, Gohan didn't fly off into space yet. We'll get to that in the next chapter, or in the third. I don't think that Gohan will just get the idea to fly off into space right away, I want him to feel the pain of loss first. The next chapter will be up within a week; I already have some of it completed.****Next Up: Chi-Chi**

**Comments welcome. Even flames.**


	2. ChiChi

**Bent and Broken by Jolly Rancher**

**Chapter 2- Chi-Chi**

Gohan flew towards his home, thinking about how to break the news of his fathers death to Chi-Chi. He knew that she wouldn't take it too good; she had been devastated when Goku didn't return from Namek. He clenched his fists as he thought of that painful year. His mother had always cooked for three, always forgetting that Goku wasn't there. She would start doing it again, and then start to cry when she realized that Goku wasn't there.

Gohan hated to see his mother cry; it broke his heart. His mother was Chi-Chi, daughter of the Ox-King, the strongest woman on the planet; she never cried. After he had come back from Namek, he had seen his mother cry for the first time. At that moment he had sworn never to let her cry again. _Looks like you failed in that promise, Gohan; just like you failed in keeping your father alive. You've condemned your mother to endless nights of crying herself to sleep._

He landed outside his home on Mt. Paoz. He looked at his surroundings sadly, remembering all the good times he and his father had shared. He turned back to his small, cozy home, and sighed in resignation. He really did not want to be the one to tell his mother of Goku's death. _This must be how Krillin felt when he was charged with the task of telling Mom about Dad's death after the fight with Radditz. And to think, I laughed at his cowardice when he told me the story. Now I understand how he felt._

He took a deep breath and opened the door. He found his mother cooking; she always cooked when she was worried.

"Mom?" said Gohan.

Chi-Chi jumped in surprise. She whirled around and saw her son standing near the door. She dropped the spatula she was holding and rushed and Gohan. She fell to her knees and embraced him tightly. As Gohan hugged her back, he reveled in the feeling of his mothers love for him. She might be a little strict, and a little crazy when it came to his studies, but she was his mother, and she loved him.

Chi-Chi stood up and wiped her eyes on her sleeve. "Oh Gohan, I was so worried about you! Where have you been? You should've come back right away! And where is your father? I _told_ him not to let you fight, and what does he do? He lets you fight! He's going to get an earful, and no dinner for him tonight!"

Gohan looked up at her sadly and said, "Sorry, mom. I fell unconscious on the Lookout, and Piccolo took me to one of the rooms." He shifted uncomfortably. "And about Dad… Mom, dad's-"

Chi-Chi went into mother-mode when she heard Gohan say that he fell unconscious. "You were unconscious? Why?" She demanded. "Didn't Dende heal you?"

"Yes, he did, Mom. But I powered up too much and fell unconscious."

Chi-Chi frowned and asked, "Why did you power up on the Lookout?"

Gohan winced. He said in a quivering voice, "Because Dad said that he didn't want to be brought back to life."

His mother laughed uneasily. "What did you say, Gohan? I thought I heard you say that your father is dead."

Gohan looked up at her, eyes glistening. "I did say that, Mom. I did say that. He doesn't want to come back."

Chi-Chi gasped. She shook her head in denial. "No! My Goku would never do that! He would come back to me! Why didn't he come back to me?" She started crying softly. She went to the kitchen table and took a seat and put her head on her hands.

Gohan was heartbroken. The tears that had been threatening to fall finally fell to the floor. He went to his mother and gave her a hug. Chi-Chi stiffened for a moment, then put her hands around Gohan, and hugged him for all she was worth. _I failed her._

_

* * *

_

(_3 Months Later_)

Gohan yawned and stretched his arms. He had just had a nice nap in front of the lake by his home. He had finished his homework for the day, so he took the time to rest at the place he felt most comfortable. He smiled as he looked at the lake, remembering all the times he had spent here when he was younger. He frowned when he remembered Goku taking him here to fish. He had gotten over most of his guilt, but Goku was still a sore point for him.

He turned his head around as his mother came up behind him. "Hey, Mom."

Chi-Chi smiled at him. "Hello, Gohan." She lay down next to him and admired the view of the mountains. They lay there for a few minutes in companionable silence when Chi-Chi spoke. "Gohan, I have something to tell you."

Gohan turned his head and looked at her quizzically. "Sure Mom. What is it?"

Chi-Chi sighed inwardly. She didn't know how Gohan was going to take the news, but she couldn't keep him in the dark, she had to tell him sometime.

"Gohan…I'm pregnant."

Gohan swore he felt his heart stop beating for a second. "You're…you're…you're what?" he stammered quietly.

"I'm pregnant, Gohan."

Gohan slowly got to his feet and stared at his mother. _She's pregnant. Oh man, she's pregnant. She's pregnant and the baby won't have a father because of me. I've already screwed up my mothers life, now the baby's life is screwed up._

A tear trickled down Gohan's face. Chi-Chi got up to comfort him, but Gohan backed away and took to the air. He never even heard his mother cry out his name. Chi-Chi sighed in defeat and walked back to her little home. He would come back…eventually.

* * *

Gohan instinctively flew towards the place that he considered his second home – the island where he had trained for the arrival of Vegeta and Nappa. He landed in front of his cave and went inside, where he immediately sat down cross-legged, trying to meditate. It was no use – the thoughts of his little brother or sister kept coming back to him. _I failed my mother…now I failed my unborn sibling. How can a person go even lower?_

_I have to get out of here. Maybe I can just stay here for the rest of my life. No worries, no more guilt. The perfect life. No, that won't work, they'll just come after me. I have to go somewhere where they can't sense me…I have to get off the planet._

With his mind made, Gohan got up and exited the cave. He flew off towards West City, towards Capsule Corporation.

Gohan landed in front of CC and quietly entered the code to get in the door. He walked in and stealthily made his way to Bulma's lab. He passed the kitchen and froze as someone started speaking.

"What are you doing here, boy?"

Without turning around Gohan said, "Nothing Vegeta. Go back to your training or whatever you do around here."

Vegeta grunted. "I was about to before you came barging in here. Now what the hell do you want?"

"I would hardly call opening the door slowly _barging_ Vegeta. You obviously need to work on your vocabulary."

"Pah, my vocabulary is fine. All Saiyans have universal translators planted in them at birth, even third-class filth like Kakkarot." said Vegeta.

Gohan frowned a little when Vegeta mentioned his father, but said nothing.

Vegeta frowned at Gohan's silence. "What do you want boy? Don't make me ask you again…"

"What are you going to do about it Vegeta? I'm the strongest being in the universe, remember?" Gohan said tauntingly.

Vegeta's gaze grew smoldering. "Power does not necessarily equate superiority, boy! You will do well to remember that!"

Gohan sneered and said, "Yeah, and I suppose all that experience in battle led you to the conclusion that it was right to let Cell absorb Number 18? Shut up, you damn hypocrite."

Vegeta roared with fury and flew across the hall to pound Gohan into a bloody pulp. Unfortunately for him, Gohan had seen this coming, and countered with a swift chop to the back of Vegeta's neck. Gohan stared down at Vegeta's body and smirked a bit. It wasn't really hard, seeing as Vegeta had probably spent the whole day training. The guy had to learn that there was more to strength than training.

He continued his walk through Capsule Corporation, weaving through the many stairways and halls. He found himself in front of Bulma's biggest lab, the lab where she kept her biggest inventions, including her spaceships.

He looked through the Capsule boxes to find the right one. He got a capsule out and opened it with a bang. He admired it, from the outside. It was its usual spherical shape, with CAPSULE CORP written in big letters on the side. Hopefully Bulma wouldn't mind _too_ much that he took it. He knew she had the blueprints, and the money, to make another one, so he didn't feel that guilty.

Without further ado, he typed in the code to make the door open. He opened the hangar door, and entered the ship. He blasted off with a last thought directed towards his mother. _I'm sorry._

_

* * *

_

**A/N: I normally don't do this, but I'm going to respond to a reviewer. It annoys the hell out of me when someone makes half their story review responses or author notes. I will only write a review response if I feel that I have to make a point.**

**To daisuke-hieiXXX: It might have seemed uncharacteristic, but people react to their loved ones deaths in different ways. Have you lost your father? Would you know what it feels like? People who were once outgoing and energetic might become withdrawn and moody. And anyways, I found that the original Japanese anime _does_ have cussing. Funimation just dubbed it, and took out all the profanity and gore so children could watch it. And if you don't like swearing, don't read the fic. I _did_ say that there would be profanity in the summary. By the way, it's called _FanFiction_, the authors usually take a different approach from canon. **


	3. Yaardrat

**Bent and Broken**

**by**

**Jolly Rancher**

**Chapter 3: Yaardrat**

**

* * *

**

_He was running; running from those whom he had once called his friends. They weren't his friends anymore, but he didn't blame them. He killed their leader, their idol…his father. He suddenly came across a weeping woman in his flight from former loved ones._

"_Hello ma'am…is there anything I can help you with?" said Gohan._

_The woman looked up and Gohan gasped. "You murderer! You killed my husband!"_

"_No! Mommy, I didn't mean to, I swear!" cried Gohan._

_She stood up unsteadily and fixed her tear-filled eyes upon him. "You killed the father of my unborn child. You killed him! Murderer!"_

_

* * *

_

Gohan woke up gasping for breath. He had been having the same dream for the past eight months. _It's not like I don't deserve it._ He thought to himself. _I killed my father. I deserve everything I get._

He sighed and got up off of his bed. He had tried several methods to try to stop the nightmares, but the only method that seemed to work was training all day without any breaks. He hated doing that, unlike Vegeta; he knew that it hurt his body.

His stomach rumbled loudly, and he glanced at it with a rueful smile. _Guess it's time for breakfast._ He looked at the time and groaned. It was only 4 o' clock. According to Vegeta, Saiyans only required five hours of sleep, but damn it, he was half human! _I really need to get more sleep. _He stumbled to the bathroom connected to his room and looked at his reflection dully. He had large bags underneath his eyes, along with a few cuts that had inevitably come from his training.

Bleep

_Attention: ETA on destination is approximately fifteen Earth minutes. Please secure yourself. Attention: ETA on destination is approximately fifteen Earth minutes. Please secure yourself._

Bleep

Gohan heard the computer alert him to the imminent arrival at his next destination. He had been flying around the galaxy for months looking for the planet, and had finally gotten the coordinates a month ago. He grinned, anticipating his arrival on Yaardrat. He didn't know why he never asked his father to teach him Instant Transmission during the year spent in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, but he was determined to learn the technique. He had seen his father use it to his advantage in his battle against Cell, and knew that knowing the technique would prove invaluable to him.

He went to the bridge and buckled down at the central console, where everything from navigation to communications was. When the ship came into communications range of the planet, he hailed them.

The view of the barren brown planet was replaced by a strange alien face. He had bronze skin, with wide eyes. The area around his mouth was pushed back, as if she had smiled considerably in the past.

He wasn't smiling now, however. "State your name and business, stranger."

Gohan blinked in surprise, Yaardian's were a solitary people but were very polite, according to his father. He shrugged it off and replied, "I am Son Gohan of Earth. I have come to learn from the Yaardian's the art of Instant Transmission."

Ra'Jin's eyes widened considerably and then narrowed suspiciously. He then said, "How – never mind. I am transmitting the coordinates to the space dock." With that said the Yaardian typed in a few things in his console, and looked back at the screen.

Gohan looked at his own console and found the line of data streaming in. He looked up and nodded his acquiescence before saying, "Thank you, sir."

Ra'Jin replied, "I will meet you at the space dock."

The screen blipped out and the planet of Yaardrat swam into view. Gohan was confused, he didn't know why the other being had acted so strange after he told him about his reason to be on Yaardrat. He shrugged it off and filed the incident in a corner of his mind. He set the coordinates of the landing pad into his console, and got ready to land.

* * *

The Council of Yaardrat was in pandemonium. They had just gotten a report from one of their space probes, a spaceship was traveling towards them at an incredible velocity. They had never believed that this day would come. Their Armageddon.

"Sir!" A junior official called out. "The spaceship is hailing us!"

The lead Council member, Pa'Lil, blinked in surprise. She wasn't expecting them to hail them, she had expected an all out frontal assault. "Open a channel. Ra'Jin, you answer it."

Ra'Jin nodded his acceptance and readied himself to speak. The junior official opened the channel and a face of a young boy came on screen. A vaguely familiar face, but Ra'Jin just shook it off. "State your name and business, stranger." He said, a little more rudely than he had meant to, but he was still very nervous from the shock of the Red Alert. As he heard the boy express his wish to learn Instant Transmission, his eyes widened. He looked over to Pa'Lil for guidance and the woman motioned him to bring the boy down to the planet. Obviously, she was as suspicious and surprised as he. "How – never mind. I am transmitting the coordinates to the space dock." He typed in the coordinates and looked back up to see Son Gohan nodding. He cut the transmission and looked to Pa'Lil.

"Take a dozen guards with you, Ra'Jin. If this is a trick, if he's a spy, do anything in your power to eliminate him." said Pa'Lil.

* * *

The spacecraft landed with a hiss of gas, as it slowed the craft down to an acceptable landing speed. Gohan unbuckled and opened the doors, giving him a view of a virtually barren space dock except for a group of about a dozen Yaardian's. "Greetings, Son Gohan." Ra'Jin said as he bowed formally. "These are the honor guard, they will see to our safe journey."

Gohan bowed just as formally and said, "Um…thanks for the welcome, sir."

Ra'Jin's face gave away nothing as he ushered Gohan into an air car.

A few minutes in their journey, Ra'Jin said, "We are going to the central quarters…" He paused at the end, obviously waiting for Gohan to say something.

When Gohan just nodded to show that he had heard, Ra'Jin sighed. "Ok, let's put away the pleasantries, Son Gohan. I want to know how you know of Instant Transmission."

Gohan blinked and said, "Is that guarded information?"

Ra'Jin glowered and replied, "Of course it is! We Yaardian's aren't very strong physically, but our special techniques allow us to stay unharmed."

Gohan blinked in surprise and actually _looked_ at the strength of Ra'Jin's ki. His eyes widened a little as he thought, _Woah, these guys are weaker than humans!_ "I'm sorry; I didn't realize it was such a secret."

Ra'Jin just stared at him, silently prodding Gohan to explain further. "Oh! Sorry. My father crash-landed on Yaardrat about four years ago. His name was Son Goku. I know about Instant Transmission from him."

The Yaardian's eyes widened and his glower immediately disappeared. "Goku? Why, I remember Goku! I personally helped him to master the Instant Transmission technique!" said Ra'Jin excitedly as he clapped his hands in near-intoxicated delight. "How is he? Is he well?"

Gohan's eyes dropped to the floor. "I'm sorry, he's – he's gone."

Ra'Jin's eyes lost their mirth. "Dead?" he said faintly.

Gohan nodded in silence.

"He was such a kind man." murmured Ra'Jin, "…such a kind man."

He sank into his seat and stared listlessly out the window. He smiled slightly and said, "Did you know he actually finished a Yaardian serving of food? He asked for seconds afterwards! He was the only alien that we ever met that could eat as much as we can."

Gohan grinned slightly, remembering his father's eating habits, but then sobered quickly as he remembered how Goku had left him

If Ra'Jin noticed Gohan's change in expression, he didn't say anything. He looked out the windows and adopted a thoughtful look upon his face. _If he's as strong as his father…this just might be the miracle we were looking for._

_

* * *

_

They landed in front of a gargantuan building, and entered through a tall archway. They entered a room painted in green, where the honor guard took their places outside the doors.

"Revered Council Members, I introduce to you Son Gohan, son of Son Goku." Ra'Jin began. "He may be of use to us."

The Council Members started when Ra'Jin mentioned Goku. Ra'Jin continued, "He wishes to learn the technique of Instant Transmission –"

The Council stirred and muttered amongst themselves, interrupting Ra'Jin. The afore mentioned Yaardian put his hands up in a placating gesture and said, "In exchange for teaching him Instant Transmission, I propose asking him to help us in the war."

Gohan was officially confused. He had no idea what was going on. "Err…if I may? Can someone please tell me what's going on here? What war?"

Ra'Jin blinked and turned to Gohan. "Oh! Sorry, I have not mentioned it to you yet. I will let the Minister of Defense tell you about it."

A Yaardian on the Council, one considerably stronger than the others, stood up. "I am Ti'Kon, Minister of Defense." He bowed formally and watched as Gohan imitated his movement. "About six months ago a group of Ice-jin's landed on Yaardrat, demanding to be taught some of our techniques. Naturally, we refused. They then gave us an ultimatum: Teach them the techniques, or face the complete eradication of our race. They then retreated, giving us twenty-five days, a month, to make our decision. On the last day, we refused again, and they landed. They destroyed our largest and most prosperous city that day. They gave us another deadline then, which is four months hence." He sat down again, waiting for Gohan to speak.

Gohan was incredibly exhausted. He had thought that his days of saving planets were over. Then a thought occurred to him. "Ice-jin's? As in the big, gay, and purple idiots with humongous egos?"

The Yaardian's exchanged glances. Gohan watched as one stood up.

"I am Pa'Lil, First Among Equals."

Gohan blinked in surprise. _Well, there's one way to tell the difference between a male and a female. The female has a much higher voice than a male._

Pa'Lil continued, "I am unsure about what you mean by 'gay' but, yes, that is who we are talking about. We would be forever indebted to you if you could help us defeat them. We know that your father was incredibly strong, so you must be as well…"

She trailed off at the end, waiting for Gohan to make a decision.

Gohan sighed. He hated this, but his conscience wouldn't let him _not_ save them. "I'll do it."

* * *

"Concentrate, Gohan!" said Ra'Jin as he and Gohan sat in a meditative position. Apparently, in addition to being the Minister of Interplanetary Affairs, he was one of the best Ki Manipulators on Yaardrat. He had agreed to teach Gohan Instant Transmission.

It had been two months since Gohan had landed on Yaardrat, and he was still learning how to Transmit. He knew how to gather ki, of course, but he had to learn how to manipulate it, to make it push him places at the speed of light. It was incredibly hard.

"Gohan," Ra'Jin sighed, "You insist on trying to control your ki. You must _submit_ to it, only then will you master it. You Saiyans are so harsh. Be gentle and it will come to you."

Gohan sighed as well. He was taught to just grab at his ki, and throw it anywhere he wanted. It was hard to do it in a different way. He had tried to do that once, in the beginning, and thought he had lost control. He had straight out refused to try that again – he was scared that he might destroy the planet if he lost control. He opened his eyes and looked at his instructor. "Fine! I'll try it again!"

He grabbed his ki again, but instead of controlling it, he let it flow through him, he reached out, searching for a specific ki signature: Piccolo's. As he found his mentors signature, he began to suffocate, feeling the loss of control. He quickly let his ki recede back into his body, and brought it under control.

Ra'Jin sighed and said, "You almost had it, Gohan! Just a few seconds more and you would have done it. Try again."

Gohan took deep breaths and readied himself to increase his ki once again. He felt it rush through his body, escaping through his pores, giving off a white aura. He suddenly felt suffocated again, but this time he let it go on. A few seconds later, the suffocation vanished and his aura roared up. He stood up, and looked at his hands in awe. _This is amazing…I feel stronger than ever before!_ He looked at Ra'Jin with wide eyes, and saw the Yaardian grinning like a madman.

"Go on, try the technique out now." said Ra'Jin.

Gohan expanded his ki, searching for Piccolo's unique signature. He found it and pushed his ki towards him.

* * *

Gohan transmitted to a spot a few feet behind Piccolo. The Namekian was meditating at the moment, but not for long.

As he saw his oldest friend and mentor he let a large grin form on his face. "Mr. Piccolo!" he cried out, reverting back to his old name for him. He launched himself at Piccolo, effectively tackling him to the ground.

Piccolo's eyes had flown open the moment Gohan had appeared behind him, but he wasn't ready for the eleven-year-old kid to jump on him, so he had crashed to the ground, with Gohan sitting on his stomach, the trademark Son grin on his youthful face. His face expressed no expression, but he was grinning on the inside, Gohan just knew it.

"Kid," Piccolo said. "Nice to see you."

"Nice to see you too, Piccolo!"

"Mind getting off me?"

Gohan had the grace to blush as he said, "Oh! Sorry, Piccolo! Right away."

The Namek watched as Gohan climbed off him, and then got up himself. "So, Gohan, where have you been these past six months?"

Gohan was about to say something when Piccolo put his hand up. "Never mind, it's obvious that you've been on Yaardrat. They're the only ones who know Instant Transmission. That is what you just did, isn't it?"

Gohan nodded and said, "So how have you been, Piccolo?"

Piccolo just stared at him and said, "You know that you're mother had a kid."

Gohan cringed. He had been trying to forget about his mom's pregnancy. "Yeah…" he mumbled.

"It was a boy. His name is Goten. He looks like Goku, right down to his hairstyle." said Piccolo.

Gohan smiled softly at hearing that he had a baby brother, but glowered when Piccolo said that he looked like Goku. "Whatever. I have to go now, Piccolo." he muttered. He put two of his fingers to his forehead, in order to help him concentrate, but Piccolo interrupted him.

The Namek had noticed Gohan's glower at learning that his brother looked like Goku. "It's not his fault, you know."

Gohan blinked and looked back at Piccolo. "What?"

"It's not his fault that he looks like Goku." Piccolo repeated.

Gohan glared at him and said, "I never said that it was." He got ready once again to leave, but once again Piccolo broke his concentration. _Damn, I really have to learn how to IT with distractions._

"Just because he looks like your father doesn't mean that he'll act like him. You owe it to your mother, and your brother, to visit them." Piccolo knew he hit a soft spot when he saw Gohan stiffen.

'What's the use?" Gohan said softly. "I can't stay."

"Then don't let her know that you're there. Just go look at your brother." Piccolo said, just as softly.

Gohan grimaced, but nodded, telling Piccolo that he would do it. He decided to forgo Instant Transmission, and instead ran to the edge of the tower and jumped off.

Piccolo watched him go with an impassive face. He knew that Gohan would do the right thing, he was never worried about that. He sat down on the floor, Indian style, and began meditating once again.

* * *

Gohan had been gone from Earth for a while, but he still remembered how to get back home. As he flew, he grinned at all the familiar sites. It was all over too fast, he thought as he landed outside his small, but comfortable home. _No, not home anymore. I don't have a home._

He suddenly noticed a ki coming through the front door, and quickly jumped in the air and landed on top of the house. He watched as his mother came out the door, carrying a basket full of laundry in one hand, and a baby in the other. He gasped as he saw his brother babbling happily. Piccolo was right – the kid looked exactly like his late father. He watched as his mother sat Goten down on the grass with a smile upon her face, and then went to putting the wet sheets on the clothesline to dry. He averted his eyes from his mother and looked at his baby brother again. At the moment, the baby was watching his mother work with a big grin on his face. He started to smack the ground, creating indentations, and bounce up and down, his baby fat wiggling slightly. Gohan thought that his heart would burst from all the love he suddenly felt towards his little brother.

He couldn't take it anymore, he searched for Ra'Jin and Yaardrat and immediately disappeared from planet Earth.

* * *

Gohan appeared next to Ra'Jin, startling the Yaardian slightly.

"Ah, Gohan. I see that you finally mastered Instant Transmission. You know it took your father much longer than…" he trailed off at the end, surprised at seeing Gohan's watery eyes. "Gohan? Are you feeling well?"

Gohan, rather rudely in Ra'Jin's opinion, brushed past him and headed towards his quarters. Ra'Jin shrugged, the boy was a mystery to him and the other Council members. He walked away, feeling a tad bit tired himself.

* * *

**A/N: Wow! Thanks for all the reviews, people. I was shocked that I got so many. Anyways, I hoped you liked this chapter, a little sappy at the end, I know, but I felt that needed to be put in. Until next time! Cheers.****Next Up: The Ice-Jin's Cometh**

**Comments always welcome, flames as well.**


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